6 minute read

Common Job Curses

Chart Your Career Future With Care

Job Seeker's Story

Sarah had pursued a career in social work for 12 years starting right out of college with her bachelor's degree in social work. She was well-liked by her clients, co-workers, and supervisors and consequently had gotten promoted to a managerial role. Initially she was excited about her promotion, but over time she found she dreaded going to work.

In Sarah's off-hours she was actively involved as a volunteer in the local animal shelter and a rescue-dog training program. In fact, she found more and more of her time at work was spent thinking about her volunteer jobs. When her friends asked her why she gave so much of her energy and time to these causes, Sarah had to admit that her heart was with her animal friends.

As Sarah continued volunteering over the years she was asked to speak to groups for fund-raising purposes about the animal shelter and rescue-dog training program. Because she was so passionate about these causes, it was easy for Sarah to convey her enthusiasm and clearly articulate the dire need both non-profits had for public support. In the four years that Sarah gave fund-raising presentations, more than $50,000 in private donations and company-matching funds had been received. Sarah never felt more alive than when she was talking about the programs to individuals and groups, educating them and trying to get them to help in some way.

One day Sarah had a lightbulb moment. She realized that the “job of her dreams” had more to do with what she did in her off-hours than what she did in her full-time job. But she didn't know what to do next. After all, her full-time job paid well and had decent benefits. She couldn't just give it up! The practical side of Sarah's nature won out. She settled into her full-time job with resignation, and began doing less and less for the animal shelter and rescue-dog training program. Sarah was de-motivated and stuck. She wondered, “How could my life have turned out this way?”

Job Seeker's Stumble

Sarah's newfound insight into a career field she could love got mired down in a negative attitude, confused thinking, and limited horizons. Her first step in the direction of a career change got stopped in its tracks because Sarah had never learned how to manage her career, including the career change process. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10–14 job changes (which can include career changes) are the average for a working lifetime. With that in mind, wouldn't it have made sense for Sarah to proactively figure out her next career move and learn how to make career changes for the future? Instead, Sarah opted to remain passive about her career and her career choices. With self-imposed limited horizons, Sarah was doomed to be at the mercy of the winds of change that would surely impact her current job and career.

Job Seeker's New Strategy

Even if you believe staying at your present job is the “smart” thing to do, regardless of how much you hate it, it is unlikely the job you have will stay there for you over the long term. In an ever more fast-moving world of change, careers and industries come and go, or morph and evolve. By proactively meeting this challenge, your career future can likewise evolve and thrive. The following five-step career planning process can help you with career management for a lifetime:

  1. Assessment: Explore and compile your complete portfolio of career assets, including your skills and strengths, interests and passions, personal brand, values and goals, personality type, education and training, work experience (paid and non-paid), and preferred work environment. These can be gathered through the use of in-depth formal career assessments and more informal, reflective career tools, such as thought-provoking “insight” questions and assignments, and feedback from others who know you well.
  2. Awareness: Use what you find in the first step to deepen your understanding and awareness of what you uniquely have to offer of value and what you really want from a career and a job. Think both long-term and short-term. Oftentimes, to reach the job of your dreams you need to create career bridges of interim jobs. Then, do some research on occupations, industries (1,170 are tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics), work sectors, and companies to find the best match with your assets. Employers look for candidates who are a “quality match” with their company and for the position advertised. Shouldn't you be doing the same? You can research online by:
    • – Doing a Google search of Websites, groups, blogs, and news.
    • – Checking out Amazon.com for relevant books, audios, and videos.
    • – Using the resources of the public library or your local college's career center.
    • – Exploring online resources (see the listing that follows).
    • – Informational interviewing with individuals in different careers, industries, and work sectors of interest.
    • – Attending a professional association meeting or seminar, and networking for information and contacts.
    • – Volunteering or taking on an adult internship.
    • – Job shadowing (for example, at VocationVacations.com).
  3. Attitude: In addition to clear thinking and awareness about your assets and value, proactive career management for a lifetime requires a positive attitude, willingness to take a well-calculated risk, and personal courage. It also means learning from your mistakes and looking for the opportunities that abound everywhere, even within your mistakes. Without this proactive attitude, volumes of insight into yourself and career research will lie fallow and die. Work on your attitude so your dreams for a better job and career have fertile ground in which to flourish.
  4. Actions: Take the newfound knowledge about your career assets and “quality matched” options in the world of work (which includes self-employment) and make a critical commitment to yourself to ACT! Despite your fear and apprehension, narrow down your choices to something you can pursue now. Strategize long-term goals based on values, needs, passions, purpose, and life/balance concerns. Then plot out a specific action plan aligned with your personal brand to get you there, perhaps in one big leap or in small “bridging” steps. Eliminate obstacles and problems and create the kind of conditions you need to make your branded action plan achievable. Chunk down the big goals into small ones, and tie everything to measurable time frames. These actions will transform your insights into the reality of a career and/or job you can love.
  5. Attraction: Remembering that your next career move will likely not be your last, vow to update and re-assess your personal brand and career growth, network continually, practice lifelong learning to optimize your assets, and keep track of your accomplishments. Staying committed to and in control of your own career development and personal-branding identity will allow you to attract the people and opportunities that are right for your career future every step of the way.

Working with a well-qualified career counselor or career coach can help move the five-step process along and provide structure, guidance, and accountability. In addition, the following resources and links are useful for career exploration and self-discovery:

Additional topics

Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and ProfilesJob Search, Job Interview Questions, & Job Interview TipsCommon Job Curses - Dead-end Job Dilemma, Chart Your Career Future With Care, Lack Of Research Fatal To Career Progress